"Go, sell what you have and give to the poor, then come and follow me!" Mt. 19:21

Sunday, April 29, 2012

April 29 is the Feast of St. Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church (though Sunday takes precedence this year). Bro. Peter Martyr OP has posted on our provincial website. I also added a few other links of interest on St. Catherine.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

On Wednesday, April 25, the parishioners of Saint Dominic's Church in Youngstown OH, joined their pastor, Fr. Gregory Maturi, O.P., and Bishop George Murry, S.J., for a groundbreaking ceremony for a new parish center. The building project is just one of many initiatives Fr. Maturi has taken to help restore a deteriorating neighborhood. Part of the plans for the parish center involve its use for programs to keep teens off the streets. Fr. Maturi says, "They need a place, they need to have some constructive activity that can occupy them so they don't get into trouble." The proposed $1.3 million facility is an investment in more than just the future of Saint Dominic's Church; it's an investment in the growth and stability of a whole neighborhood.

Bro. Peter Martyr writes in the post: "It is through Christ’s passion that our redemption is brought about. Thus, during this season in which we commemorate our freedom from sin and death and our new life in Christ, it is a great privilege, and even a blessing, to celebrate a feast commemorating one of the instruments that brought about this gift."

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Check out Bro. Peter Martyr's latest post in his series on Dominican Saints. St. Agnes of Montepulciano was a great mystic and a powerful intercessor for those of you discerning a vocation to the Dominicans.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

On April 19, sixteen Dominican friars and a number of Dominican sisters attended the 2012 National Catholic Prayer Breakfast (NCPB) in Washington DC. The annual event was themed around Threats to Religious Liberty: At Home and Abroad. The NCPB answers the summons of Pope John Paul II to embrace the "New Evangelization, new in ardor, methods and expression." Gathering for worship and fellowship comprises the heart of the event.

One of the speakers at the NCPB, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, called his audience to reflect on a variety of historic events of the twentieth century. The events the Supreme Knight evoked demonstrate a decided effort on behalf of governments, American and otherwise, to erase the name of God from modern society.

Beginning with the recent controversy surrounding the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial (opened Fall 2011), Mr. Anderson poignantly remarked not one of the fourteen quotes etched into the site’s marble makes mention of God. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. derives the principles for his understanding of the natural law from the great Catholic intellectual tradition, which informs King's entire conception of justice and civil rights.

Another example Mr. Anderson presented came from the US Supreme Court case Hosanna-Tabor versus EEOC. During these arguments, the administration sought unprecedented limits on the liberties of religious ministers and institutions. Mr. Anderson proceeded to say,

"The administration argued that if any 'ministerial exception' in employment exists it should be strictly 'limited to those employees who perform exclusively religious functions.' That caused Chief Justice John Roberts to ask during oral argument whether even the pope could meet the Administration's definition of a religious minister."

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously against this attempt to redefine the American understanding of the role of religious ministers. The move to impose strict definitions of religious exemption as regards the most recent decision of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Administration directly relates to the effort to promote a narrow understanding of religious minister in the Hosanna-Tabor case.

The heart of Mr. Anderson's remarks lay in his belief that the protection of religious freedom transcends any partisan agenda, and is in fact a basic human right. He noted in particular the distressing rhetoric appealed to by HHS Director Kathleen Sabellius in her comments at a NARAL luncheon. Ms. Sabellius said, "We are in a war." Mr. Anderson responded to those words today by saying,

"I sincerely hope we can put away such partisan rhetoric. We do not need a government that sees itself 'at war' with its own citizens. We should counsel a different approach."

Mr. Anderson's rally cry commends Catholics to stand together. We have been successful in the past, and through creative and determined efforts, we will be able to keep the doors of religious liberty open for future generations. Mr. Anderson concluded,

So this is a time for choosing--choosing whether as Catholics we will stand together to keep open the doors of religious liberty. If we do so, then we will make possible the next great awakening in America that will bring us closer to building that culture of life and that civilization of love about which John Paul II so often spoke. May we, like Blessed John Paul II, be not afraid in our choosing."

Saturday, April 14, 2012

A number of Cooperator Brothers held a recent meeting at Saint Albert Priory in Oakland, CA to address promotion of the vocation to the brotherhood. Br. Gabriel Dault, O.P., of the Province of St. Albert the Great, wrote a brief summary of the meeting, available on the Dominican Order's website HERE.

The 2012 Pentecost Silent Retreat will be an excellent way to prayerfully start out your summer. The retreat, for men discerning a Dominican vocation, will be directed by Dominican Fathers: Carleton Jones OP, John Corbett OP, Thomas Petri OP and Benedict Croell OP. The Pentecost theme comes from Galatians 5:25 “If we live in the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit.” The retreat, beginning in the afternoon on Saturday May 26th and concluding by noon on Wednesday May 30th, will include daily Mass, praying the Liturgy of the Hours, Eucharistic Adoration, silence, and daily conferences. The retreat takes place at Saint Gabriel’s Retreat House, located on 88 beautiful wooded acres in Patapsco Valley State Park near Baltimore. Saint Gabriel’s is an apostolate of the All Saints’ Sisters of the Poor, and is located on the grounds of All Saints Convent.

One of the benefits of the retreat will be participating in the monastic life as it is lead by the All Saints Sisters. The Sisters began as an Anglican community in 1872 and were received into the Roman Catholic Church in November 2011, so this is a great chance to meet and pray with the sisters and share in their Anglican patrimony. Additionally retreatants will attend the Pentecost Sunday High Mass in the Anglican-use Rite at a local parish, where Dominican Fr. Carleton Jones OP is the chaplain.

Thank you for all of your help to the Dominican community here in the Province of St. Joseph. We would appreciate you assistance in spreading the word about our Second Annual Dominican Pontifical Faculty Spring Gala on Friday, April 20th. This is our main fundraising event for the school, and, more importantly, a wonderful opportunity to meet the men in formation here at the Dominican House, and to meet the men and women who are pursuing graduated degrees here as well. We promise a wonderful evening: convivial, festive atmosphere, delicious hors d’oeuvres and wine, and a silent auction. The evening closes with Compline and a Salve procession in honor of Our Lady.

Archbishop DiNoia OP taught many of our friars here at the Dominican House of Studies before he went to Rome to work for the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith under the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

This talk he gave here about our province is a must-read to understand why we have been blessed with many vocations.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

In Washington DC, recently there has been a 40 Days for Life campaign with which we have participated with the area parishes in front of the Planned Parenthood, for many days we take certain hours to pray and do side-walk counseling in hopes that people will have a change of heart and that Planned Parenthood will go out of business. (see photos below) Our friars each year are involved with the National March for Life to prayerfully protest the Roe vs. Wade decision to legalize abortion.

Also below you will see some photos of our friars at a prayerful protest to stop the HHS Mandate. More than 54,000 pro-life advocates joined more than 140 rallies across the nation on March 23 to rally for religious freedom and against the controversial Obama HHS mandate that requires religious groups to pay for birth control and drugs that may cause abortions. Click on photos to enlarge.

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Our website, DominicanFriars.org continues to be our major source of information about the Order of Preachers. This blog provides specific info for men who are more seriously discerning a vocation & prayerfully considering the next step.